Media Room
Latest News
All the latest news from the Industry and the Visit County Durham Grapevine newsletter.
Visit County Durham
North East tourism organisations become first in England to be recognised with new national status
22 Feb 2023
Regional bodies leading on the promotion, marketing and development of the North East’s visitor economy are the first to be recognised by VisitEngland in a government programme to establish a new structure for the tourism industry. NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI), Visit County Durham, part of...
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Industry
Back on Track - Railway line from Bishop Auckland to Stanhope to reopen this spring
10 Feb 2023
The railway line from Bishop Auckland to Stanhope will reopen this spring for the first time in three years, thanks to an extensive restoration programme carried out by The Auckland Project. The Auckland Project acquired the 16-mile stretch of railway in January 2020 and has since been working to...
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Industry
Beamish Museum appoints Chair and Trustees to Board
10 Feb 2023
Beamish, The Living Museum of the North has announced the appointment of a Chair and trustees to its board. Chris Loughran has been appointed as Chair and will take up his role on 1st March, along with 10 new board members in the voluntary roles. The new trustees are David Alexander, Mauricio...
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Industry
National Occupancy Results
8 Feb 2023
England Occupancy Survey results for November 2022 have been published. When comparing November 2022 results with November 2021, room occupancy in November 2022 increased from 67% to 78% whilst bedspace occupancy increased from 47% to 54%. Evaluating trends across the 9 regions of England, all...
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Visit County Durham
Tourism Sentiment Report
8 Feb 2023
The Visit County Durham commissioned Tourism Sentiment report for January is now available, providing valuable insights for the county's tourism businesses. The score measures Durham's ability to generate positive word of mouth about our tourism offer through online conversations. This month, the...
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Industry
N’ice’ start to the Year of the Coast activity at Dalton Park
7 Feb 2023
Dalton Park Outlet Shopping Destination is set to support Visit County Durham’s Year of the Coast campaign with a free seaside themed Ice & Waves Trail event during February half term. Five stunning sculptures will be placed around the centre on Monday 20th February and there will be an...
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Industry
For the Love of Gin: Durham’s First Gin Distillery and School Opens This Month
2 Feb 2023
Gin lovers looking to catch a glimpse of how their favourite tipple is produced are in luck in 2023. Durham Distillers, producers of the award-winning Durham Gin, are opening their brand-new city centre distillery to visitors this Spring with bookings now available from Saturday 24th February....
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Industry
DLI Preparations Begin For Move To The Story
2 Feb 2023
Preparations are underway to carefully pack historic military memorabilia currently on display in Durham as part of plans to create a new home for Durham Light Infantry (DLI) collection. The DLI Gallery: Courage, Comrades and Community has been hosted at Durham University’s Palace Green Library...
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Industry
Exciting Jobs and Recruitment Fair at Beamish Museum
1 Feb 2023
From working with heritage transport to creating tasty traditional treats, become part of something special with exciting and unique new jobs at Beamish, The Living Museum of the North. A variety of seasonal roles are being advertised at the award-winning museum, including in The 1900s Town and Pit...
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Visit County Durham
Celebrating the Year of the Coast in Durham
1 Feb 2023
Durham’s spectacular heritage coastline is under the spotlight this year as part of a nationwide campaign to promote England’s coast as a sustainable year-round destination.
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Visit County Durham
Collaboration makes for memorable marketing campaign
31 Jan 2023
Visit County Durham has joined forces with a leading influencer marketing agency for a campaign that is positioning Durham as the place to go to make memories.
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Industry
The Who to perform at Seat Unique Riverside in 2023
30 Jan 2023
Legendary rock band The Who will perform at Seat Unique Riverside on Wednesday 19th July for their UK Tour “The Who Hits Back!” Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and band will be performing music from throughout the band’snearly 60-year career, including sections devoted to classic albums Tommy...
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Visit County Durham
North East awarded funding to promote the region’s experiences to international visitors
25 Jan 2023
The North East has been awarded a grant from VisitBritain’s GREAT Gateway Innovation Fund to market and promote regional experiences to inbound visitors from the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC). Working in collaboration with local industry, NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI) will develop an...
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Industry
Single-use plastics
25 Jan 2023
A ban on a range of polluting single-use plastics will be introduced in England from October 2023. The ban will include single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers. One solution to help businesses move away from single...
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Industry
Mental health at work
25 Jan 2023
As an employer, there are ways you can offer support to your staff through the cost of living crisis. Curated by Mind, The Mental Health at Work toolkit includes resources designed to help you and your employees with support through financial difficulties.
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